


loving would be easy

by otshineon (alexscarlet)



Category: SHINee
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempt at Humor, Fluff, Misunderstandings, Multi, PINK HAIR TAEM, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, and lil dancer taem, as is dramatic kibum, footballer minho is always good, key word: attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-06
Updated: 2017-01-06
Packaged: 2018-09-15 09:16:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9228434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexscarlet/pseuds/otshineon
Summary: Kibum reigns unrivalled over the drama department. Minho is the star footballer. Taemin has his own little hip hop crew.Oh, and Jonghyun and Jinki are the worst friends ever Kibum doesn’t know why he puts up with them.





	

**Author's Note:**

> NB: Repost from tumblr.
> 
> Requested by cutie pie shineebug on: “minkey or taekey - rivals in school/work/club”. Let’s just say I love both pairings and I’m a sucker for 2minkey. I hope you enjoy!

“Jinki, I’m going to kill them, or so help me!”

 

Jinki looks up at him from where he’s upside down and prostrate across the sofa, in the middle of reading extension work. “Let me guess.” Jinki drawls, wincing a little as his flatmate slams the front door shut. “Taemin? Or is it Minho this time?”

 

Kibum shrugs out of his jacket and angrily pulls his boots off. “Both.”

 

“Both?” Kibum really does not appreciate Jinki’s tired tone of voice.

 

“Yes, _both_. Do you know how many times I’ve told Minho to stop putting his stupid football club advertisement posters over mine?”

 

“I think the count is at five, as of today.”

 

Kibum chucks his hat at Jinki, who uses his book to deflect the missile, before storming into the kitchen. Jinki’s feeling a bit dizzy from having his head hang upside down off the sofa, so he heaves himself upright and is about to continue his reading when Kibum starts yelling from the kitchen. Jinki closes the book and rubs his temples; really, he should’ve known that Kibum wouldn’t shut up about it that quickly. If anything, he is only getting started.

 

“And Taemin knows we have play rehearsals in that studio on Wednesdays, he _knows._ But he turned up yet again with the entire hip hop crew in tow stating _he’d_ booked it this lunchtime.” Kibum sets a mug of tea in front of Jinki and slurps his own, irritably.

 

Jinki sips his tea cautiously, but even in anger Kibum has made it perfectly. Of course. They haven’t been friends for over seven years without learning how each other’s favourite way to take tea.

 

Kibum suddenly slumps into the cushions, looking more defeated that Jinki’s seen him since the start of the term when Kibum had first clashed heads with Taemin - Kibum’s been at crossed swords with Minho since forever. The combination of the two is obviously too much for Kibum. Kibum runs his hands through his hair and Jinki wonders if he’s about to fall asleep right then and there, with those huge bruises beneath his eyes.

 

Jinki watches with vague worry as Kibum sighs, “The football club doesn’t even need promotion. Everyone fucking falls over themselves to join. Minho himself is a walking advertisement-“

 

“Oh?” Jinki raises one eyebrow.

 

Kibum scowls but his cheeks are redder than they were a second ago. “I mean, all the girls fall over him and the guys all want ladies over them like that too. It’s a win-win situation, he gets the fan club and the football players.”

 

Jinki hums and gulps his tea.

 

“Then Taemin? He thinks his stupid cute face can get him out of anything - it’s gotten worse since he dyed his hair pink, _God_ \- but-“

 

“Cute?”

 

This time Kibum sets his mug down on the coaster deliberately, licks his lips and then says, “Jinki, are you ok? Because I feel like there’s something you want to say.”

 

Jinki widens his eyes. “Me? Oh no. Nothing.”

 

Kibum groans and throws himself back into the sofa again. “You’re so frustrating.”

 

Into the remnants of his tea Jinki mumbles, “You’re so oblivious.”

 

* * *

 

“Maybe you shouldn’t do that?” Jonghyun suggests as Kibum makes use of his perfect nails and rips stupid Minho’s stupid poster down.

 

“I thought you were on my side?”

 

Jonghyun hesitates. “I am babe…but the rest of the school is probably on Minho’s?”

 

There’s the sound of running down the corridor and Kibum slams his head into the noticeboard. “Speak of the devil.” He groans, and true enough, the footsteps belong to aforementioned _stupid_ boy.

 

Jonghyun makes a tactical exit and Kibum curses. If Jonghyun weren’t his best friend, Kibum would really hate him. Instead, he draws in a deep breath and raises his head, smiling congenially.

 

His eyes are immediately drawn to Minho’s long (gorgeous) legs, stretching out from those ridiculously short football shorts, all sun-browned and lean muscle. Kibum forces himself to look up, but that’s not much better because the idiot has rolled his sleeves up so his arms are visible in all their well-developed glory, and Minho’s face is infuriatingly handsome.

 

“Minho.” Kibum growls.

 

“Key!” Minho grins. He’s always grinning. Kibum doesn’t see what the girls in this school see in Minho, he really doesn’t. For all the ‘cool guy’ image Minho fights to emulate, he’s actually just a giant dork. Giant. Kibum’s neck hurts looking up at him. “You look good today.”

 

“I look good everyday.” Kibum snaps.

 

Minho at least has the good grace to look apologetic. “Yeah. But you seem like you got a good night’s sleep?” He’s doing that scratching-the-back-of-his-neck and looking-up-through-his-eyelashes-bashfully as if it will make Kibum forgive him for his blunder. (It isn’t adorable at all.)

 

“I did. How did you sleep?” Kibum asks, because he has manners, as much as Jinki will argue he doesn’t.

 

“Well.” Minho beams, eyes lighting up.

 

“Uh huh, that’s great. I suppose this means you’re not feeling blinded with tiredness today?” Minho shakes his head in confusion. “So you’re not going to paste your posters over mine, are you.” Kibum smiles with saccharine sweetness.

 

Minho winces. “Uh…”

 

Time to shift gear. Kibum pulls out the pout, blinking up at Minho pleadingly, “Come on, come on. There’s plenty of space around and besides, everyone goes to football already.”

 

Minho seems to stop breathing for a second, before he stutters. “S-Sorry? I won’t do it anymore. It’s just a special occasion, you know?” He regains that brilliant smile and Kibum has to blink to stop himself from going blind. “There’s the county finals on this weekend.”

 

“Well…” Minho’s puppy dog eyes are so, so annoying. Kibum feels simultaneously personally attacked and responsible. He hears himself saying; “I guess it’s ok for this week then.”

 

“Really?”

 

Kibum nods, feeling his face heat up with the sincere gratefulness in Minho’s gentle gaze. He stands aside and embarrassment wells up in him at the messy shreds of Minho’s poster from before.

 

“I-“ He starts, but Minho interrupts.

 

“Jinki from art made us a new poster anyway, no worries.” Kibum splutters. So much for friendship? Still, he can’t find the indignation when Minho is smiling down at him happily. “Well, that’s it then.” Minho steps back but he doesn’t go. He lingers.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Um. Will I see you in the crowd?”

 

“Where.”

 

“At the football match.”

 

Minho’s eyes are chocolate and hope. Kibum doesn’t know why.

 

“Sure.”

 

* * *

 

When Kibum first meets Taemin he falls headfirst in love. The boy is beautiful and Kibum is hopelessly weak in the face of beautiful things. Clear skin and pink hair, heavy makeup and black jackets, pouting lips and fierce gracefulness. Yes, hopeless.

 

Despite Jinki’s advice, Kibum flirts with him shamelessly, all coy smiles and smirking wit.

 

At first, Kibum convinces himself Taemin is just a little dense, or maybe unwilling to believe that somebody as pretty as Kibum is flirting with him (though Taemin doesn’t really give off vibes of insecurity, he is so full of himself). But, eventually, Kibum gives up and just decides to avoid him as far as possible.

 

 _Then_ the little shit resolves to turn up literally everywhere. Getting under Kibum’s feet, bothering him on the busiest days, always acting like Kibum’s in the wrong when he’s not. Kibum is firmly _not_ in love with Lee Taemin anymore.

 

“Key-hyung?”

 

Kibum affixes a smile to his face before turning around. “Yes, Taemin-ah?”

 

“I’m sorry for yesterday.” Kibum nearly falls over.

 

“Pardon?”

 

“You had booked it. I should’ve checked the timetable instead of disturbing your rehearsals. How’re they going?”

 

“Good.” Kibum replies in a daze. Taemin’s eyes _sparkle_ , how the _hell_?

 

“I’m glad. Really, sorry. You looked extra stressed and I shouldn’t have added to it just because I wanted to-“ Taemin breaks off, biting his plump lips sharply. Kibum refuses to look at those lips.

 

“Wanted to?” Kibum questions, somewhat flustered.

 

“Nothing.” Taemin’s cheeks are the same colour as his hair and lips and it’s really distracting. “Are you going to the match on Saturday?”

 

“Match?”

 

“Football.” Taemin laughs at the blank look on Kibum’s face.

 

Kibum scowls for a second but Taemin’s so smiley he can’t help but smile back eventually. “Yes. Minho convinced me.”

 

Taemin’s face twitches. “Minho?”

 

“He’s the striker, right?” Kibum regrets that the second it comes out because he most definitely does not know what position Minho plays, nope.

 

Taemin squints at him suspiciously. “Yeah. I thought you didn’t watch football?”

 

“I don’t. Um, Jinki talks about it sometimes. He just drew them a poster.” He also hasn’t responded to the betrayed text Kibum sent him earlier that morning. Worst best friend ever.

 

“Will you come with me?”

 

“Where?”

 

Taemin rolls his eyes and Kibum is not jealous of his eyeliner, really. “The match, hyung.”

 

“Right. Yes. Sure.”

 

“Yes?”

 

Kibum doesn’t know what’s gotten into him, only that Taemin’s sparkly eyes and pink hair and even pinker lips are not the best recipe for good decisions.

 

He nods. “Yes.”

 

* * *

 

Kibum stands when the rest of the crowd does because he has no idea what’s happening. He tells Taemin he’s more of a rugby man and Taemin yells that he’s a snob so Kibum just steals some more of Taemin’s hot dog. At half time, Minho searches the stands and finds Kibum in the token team colours scarf. He waves until Kibum waves back, at which point he grins until he notices Taemin.

 

“What are you smirking at?” Kibum nudges Taemin’s side.

 

“Oh, nothing.” Taemin says mildly. He refused to wear the team colours because the colours are too bright. Kibum had kicked him and called him a stupid pastel goth and Taemin had just laughed. “Minho’s playing well.”

 

“I wouldn’t know.” Kibum replies, and steals Taemin’s chips for good measure. “Hey, you don’t call him hyung?”

 

Taemin’s eyes widen and he appears strangely worried. “Uh, no?”

 

Kibum gives him a weird look then decides against asking. “You don’t have to call me hyung.”

 

Just as he says that, Taemin adds, “Because Minho and I are same-aged friends.”

 

Both pause and go pink for different reasons. “Oh.”

 

* * *

 

The match finishes and Kibum drags Taemin down to wait outside the changing rooms because Minho texts him. (Kibum doesn’t know how Minho got his phone number, but it was definitely not through him. Definitely not. Kibum never gets drunk or hands out his number to too-tall, too-sexy boys who take him home.)

 

They’re taking a long time to change, so Kibum excuses himself to the bathroom, leaving Taemin happily rearranging his hair for the fifth time. (He had said the cheers of the crowd had ruined his hairstyle so Kibum hit him and ruffled the bubble-gum pink).

 

“That was good, wasn’t it?” Jonghyun says, when they meet at the sinks. He’s got the team colours painted all over his face and his eyes are all wide with the excitement; he’s always been one to _feel_ everything a little more than other people. Kibum nods because he thinks they won? So that probably counts as good.

 

He fixes his own hair, frowns at how red his nose is, before heading back out-

 

Taemin’s kissing Minho.

 

Minho’s kissing Taemin _back_.

 

Kibum doesn’t realise how high he is from the fervour of the match until he crashes out of the happy daze and sprawls in the mud.

 

He doesn’t realise he’s in love with both of them until he can have neither.

 

Minho stops smiling warmly down at Taemin for a second and glances up, locking eyes with Kibum, who is still standing there beside the bathroom block, scarf half-falling-off. His face falls, his mouth moving to say words that look like ‘ _oh shit_ ’ and then Taemin’s pink hair is whipping around as he whirls to find Kibum too. By then, though, Kibum’s away.

 

On trembling legs he stumbles, slipping into the flow of departing spectators, letting the tide pull him from the stadium before spitting him out at the edge of the car park. There’s an empty bench and Kibum’s whole body feels sort of numb, but he thinks if he stops moving he’ll start crying, or something stupid.

 

He tries to focus on the cracks of the pavement he’s walked for the last five years. (They must have known he loved them.) On the way his shadow dances around him as he enters and leaves the puddles of light beneath the streetlights. (They wanted to mock him.) Cars pass, full of laughing students, but the sidewalks are empty. (It was a game to them, all the soft smiles and gentle teasing, all the flirtatious ‘hyung’s and dimples.)

 

“Key!”

 

“Hyung!”

 

He flips his hood over his bright hair and walks faster, hunching down, shrinking. Couldn’t they just leave him alone? Hadn’t they had their fun?

 

Fingers grabbing the back of his jacket.

 

“Get your fucking hands off me.” He snarls, turning to them. He doesn’t want to give them the satisfaction of his humiliation but it’s hard when it’s barely been five minutes. He ignores how Taemin lets go like he’s been burnt, eyes filled with hurt.

 

“Hyung, it’s not-“

 

“Fuck off.” Kibum spares Minho a look of disgust and disappointment before striding off again. Taemin he can somewhat understand. Taemin could be convinced into playing a little joke on the resident drama freak, all in the name of innocent fun. But Minho? He thought Minho was better than that.

 

“We love you.” Minho calls quietly after him.

 

“I said, fuck o-“ Kibum tripped to a halt, looking back at them. Taemin’s hair is soft as rose petals under the lamplight, messy enough to seem like they ran here after him; Minho’s hair is crazy and half-damp and his huge eyes are even larger in anticipation. “You what?”

 

“Love you.” Taemin clarifies.

 

Kibum cackles. “Well, this is a weird as hell love triangle.”

 

Taemin and Minho exchange significant glances and the tiny action makes Kibum feel so ignored and isolated, makes him want to run away and hide.

 

“This isn’t a love triangle.” Minho slowly starts walking closer, voice increasing in confidence when Kibum doesn’t try to go off again. “Because I love Taemin as much as I love you.”

 

“And I love Minho and you.”

 

Kibum’s eyes flick between the pair of them, refusing to believe the sincerity and vulnerable openness in their faces.

 

“You’re kidding me.”

 

“It’s called polyamory-“

 

“I know what it’s fucking called, Minho.”

 

Taemin’s eyes light up at that. “Really? So you know what-“

 

“How could you have lied to me like that?” Kibum hisses.

 

“We didn’t-“

 

“Lying through omission. You both ‘conveniently’ forget you were dating whenever you were around me. You’re disgusting. If you wanted to both woo me from a polyamorous perspective, I would’ve been fucking delighted, but as it is, I just feel…”

 

“Betrayed.” Taemin’s voice is shaky and his hair slips forward as he hangs his head guiltily. “I’m sorry.”

 

“Sorry doesn’t even cover it-“

 

“I’m sorry too.” Minho says, looking like he wants to grab Taemin and run, or like he wants to hide behind Taemin at the very least, but he doesn’t. He keeps his ground, meets Kibum’s hesitant glare.

 

He clears his throat. “I thought you…I thought you both hated me anyway.”

 

They burst into sudden laughter at that. “Are you kidding? We were just trying to get your attention! Do you really think I’m that lousy at checking a schedule for a performing arts studio?”

 

“Your face flushes pink when you’re frustrated or when you’re embarrassed and it’s so cute.” Minho confesses quietly. “I never wanted to stress you out so much. Jinki told me, I didn’t know you’d get so worked up-“

 

“That’s because you _don’t know me_. How can you even like me?”

 

Taemin rushes forward suddenly, gripping Kibum’s hands. “We want to know though! Please don’t say that. We both love you, but. U-um? Personally it’s your consideration, your confidence, your caring nature.” With each attribute listed Taemin's ears blush darker. Kibum doesn't even want to think about how pink he himself must be.

 

“You’re so pretty.” Minho whispers, before admitting, “I want to take care of you but at the same time I want you to fight my ass.”

 

Taemin giggles and Kibum can’t help but join in.

 

“Maybe we should continue this conversation somewhere else.” He suggests, and they both grin, shy, but excited at the implication.

 

“My house is one bus-stop awa-“

 

“Mine is just over there.” Kibum points, raising an eyebrow at them. "And Jinki is at Jonghyun's after-match party."

 

“Ok.” Taemin laughs.

 

“Ok.” Minho beams.

 

Kibum takes a deep breath and lets Taemin hold his hand and pull him in the direction he just indicated. Minho follows behind and his excitement is palpable; it tastes like youth and optimism and a goal in the last five minutes of a match.

 

“Ok.”

 

 


End file.
